LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — KTNV's sports reporter Tina Nguyen sat down with NBA G League Ignite's shooting guard, Mohave King.
The Ignite will play their final game of the season on the road Saturday against the South Bay Lakers. Tipoff is at 5 p.m.
TINA NGUYEN: Well, Mojave, you are one of the top contributors on this team. How do you put into words what this season has been like for you this season?
MOJAVE KING: This has been, you know, a great experience. It's been a lot of fun. Coming in, not really knowing what to expect and then just getting around. The group has just been a super professional and competitive environment the whole time and it's just been great to have so much exposure and have so much fun.
NGUYEN: You've grown a lot as a shooter over this season. Where is this confidence coming from for you?
KING: Yeah, just putting in the work with the coaches. I really trust the staff that we have. They work with me a lot every day. So just trust in them, trust in the work that I put in and then my teammates having confidence in me also helps, like when they pass me the ball and I'm open and they trust me to knock it down.
NGUYEN: What was it like living in Australia and growing up and playing basketball there?
KING: My earliest memories playing basketball is just walk into the courts from school and play it on the outdoor courts on concrete when it was super hot outside. But I just remember loving it so much. And then my dad, he was a coach, so I was always just shooting around on the court when he was in his office. And I remember just imagining I was in a big arena shooting game winners and stuff like that, like every other kid. So that's how I fell in love with it.
NGUYEN: Do you have a moment where you were like, All right, this is what I want to do. I want to become a professional basketball player and play in the NBA one day.
KING: I kind of always dreamed of doing it, but the moment I realized I might be able to actually do it might have been when I got invited to go to the the NBA Academy in Australia, the NBA Global Academy, that's when I kind of figured that I might have a shot to actually make it.
NGUYEN: What would it mean to hear your name be called in the NBA Draft?
KING: It would mean the world. It's been a dream my whole life. It's been a goal my whole life. It's always been, you know, throughout my basketball career, my long term goal. But now it's kind of right around the corner. So, yeah, it would mean so much to me.
